Shawndrarussell

LATEST ARTICLES ( 320 )

• Fiction Fridays: Coffee Table Love for Bradley Trevor Greive's The Meaning of...

  The Meaning of Life by Bradley Trevor Greive is a book parents should read to their kids and adults should read periodically for a little self-reflection to mak... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Writer Wednesdays: Lori Gottlieb Warns Parents to Quit Babying Your Kids (And...

  

  This Lisa Gottileb article has the descriptor "Why the obsession with our kids' happiness may be dooming them to unhappy adults." As a teacher for four years,... Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Taste Tuesdays: Southern Belle Simple

  Southern Belle Simple is written by Kate Spears and includes tons of yummy recipes served up with a heavy side of Southern hospitality and traditions. Read more

  Posted on 16 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Movie Mondays: The Company Men, An Underrated Gem About the State of Our...

  This movie completely flew under the radar, and the only reason I can think why is because it hits too close to home. The subject is job loss, and no one is... Read more

  Posted on 15 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Sightseeing Sundays: Marveling at a Stunning Alaska Resort at Alyeska Prince...

  

  Alyeska Ski Lodge, 35 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska Photo Courtesy of: http:www.weddingmapper.com/ plan/alaska/girdwood This is the view looking down onto... Read more

  Posted on 14 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Soul Saturdays:

  "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do"Epictetus, a Greek philosopher This quote inspires me because this is how we should al... Read more

  Posted on 13 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Fiction Fridays: The Emperor of Ocean Park: An Intellectual Must-Read Mystery

  I will be upfront and say that I do not gravitate towards mysteries or thrillers. However, I couldn't put this book down. I think the academia aspect kept me... Read more

  Posted on 12 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Writer Wednesdays: Redbook's Aaron Traister Digs Deep to Give the Husband...

  Aaron Traister is a brave man. His audience is primarily women which means that based on our divorce statistics, half of his audience may hate him at any given... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2011 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, SELF EXPRESSION

• Taste Tuesday: Sauerkraut and Mashed Potatoes?! (It's Good, I Promise)

  My husband whipped up something surprising the other day--mashed potatoes topped with sauerkraut. He paired it with a hot italian sausage covered with... Read more

  Posted on 09 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Movie Mondays: Sex and the City 2: Marriage and Baby Woes Examined

  Alright, I might get some backlash for this one, but I really enjoyed the second installment. In fact, I hated the first movie and refused to watch the second... Read more

  Posted on 08 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Sightseeing Sundays: San Marino

  

  I want to start marveling at vacation destinations around the world, including those that I have personally visited and those that I plan to venture to one day. Read more

  Posted on 07 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Soul Saturdays: Henry David Thoreau's Life Philosophy

  "My life is like a stroll on the beach; as near to the edge as I can go"--Henry David Thoreau This quote knocks the breath out of me when I read it. Read more

  Posted on 06 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Fiction Fridays:Review of The Last Summer (Of You and Me) by Ann Brashares...

  I am trying an experiment with my book reviews. I am writing a reaction to the first half of the book now, then I will write the rest when I finish. Read more

  Posted on 05 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Writer Wednesdays: Matthew Inman Aka "The Oatmeal"

  If you have never visited www.theoatmeal.com, do so today. This guy is flat-out hilarious and witty to boot. He is a comic who writes, draws, and provides socia... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Taste Tuesdays: Funny Food Blogger to Watch--Half-Buzzed Hostess

  I have been following "Half-Buzzed Hostess," a food blog written by Nicole Yorio, a former editor at Redbook. I love her philosophy that "parties are always mor... Read more

  Posted on 02 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Movie Monday: The Fighter

  I have been wanting to see this film for a while, but Gary had already seen it, and I just hadn't gotten around to renting it on a "me night. Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2011 DIARIES, ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Sightseeing Sundays: Chicago!

  

  I just returned from a wonderful girls' weekend in Chicago and am utterly exhausted, but I wanted to tell you about one "must-do. Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Soul Saturdays: My Beef with the American Dream

  The American Dream "unofficial" definition: "A big house with a white picket fence, mom, dad, 2.5 kids, nice cars, a dog, a cat and two weeks’ vacation every... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Fiction Fridays: Something Blue

  Last weekend I read the follow-up to Something Borrowed (read that review post first if you haven't yet) called Something Blue by Emily Giffin. Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2011 DIARIES, SELF EXPRESSION

• Taste Tuesdays: Couscous-stuffed Green Peppers and Tzatziki-topped Burgers

  

  Monday nights we are going to try out new recipes so I can share them on Tuesdays with you. Mondays are kind of a blah day, so why not have something to look... Read more

  Posted on 26 July 2011 SELF EXPRESSION